Monday, 19 October 2015

Environment Ministers from over 50 Muslim countries agree on “Declaration for Environmental Protection”

The 6th Islamic conference of Envronment Ministers held in Rabat,
Morocco on 8 - 9 October 2015 (the largest convening of Muslim-world
Environment Ministers), facilitates agreement amongst Environment
Ministers on a number of steps to tackle climate change and challenges
facing sustainable development.
The conference was organised by the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC), in conjunction with the Islamic Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) under the patronage of the
Kingdom of Morocco.
The two day event ended with a joint declaration on environmental protection and sustainable development,
calling on renewed political commitment from member states to actively
pursue sustainable development goals, energy efficiency, and poverty
eradication.
The declaration called on all 57 OIC member states to:

Pursue 'green economies' - where renewables and energy efficiency
creates a new green wave of employment and income for societies.

Work together to build synergy on water sustainability, food security and energy efficiency.

Adopt a set of standards for sustainable governance good practices
adapted to the socio-economic and cultural context of the OIC Member
States

Raise awareness about the importance of eradicating poverty using
education, training, and capacity building amongst nations to achieve
this.

Work with industry and embrace technological innovations, renewables
and energy efficiency mechanisms to create a 'new energry operating
system'.

OIC secretary general Iyaad Ameen Madani, said: "climate change is a
serious threat, especially to the developing world. It is only through
collective action that we will overcome one of the pressing challenges
of our generation."
Madani also emphasised that forums which bring together developing
countries such as the OIC need to take a more holistic approach to
environmental challenges: "sustainable development, having a diverse
green economy, and eradicating poverty are at the heart of environmental
well-being, and so it was very important that we achieved broad
consensus on a wide array of issues ranging from water and food security
to climate change".
The conference also adopted a series of documents including the
Islamic agenda for sustainable development, water resources management,
environmental sustainability, and the establishment of an Islamic
environmental academy.
The conference recommendations also included the establishment of a
joint OIC Commission for Sustainable Development (OIC-CSD), on the lines
of the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development, with
mandate to steer cooperation for promoting sustainable development among
the Member States and promote the vision of the Islamic world within
the UN and other regional and international forums and conferences.